This section is from the book "The Table: How To Buy Food, How to Cook It, and How to Serve It", by Alessandro Filippini. Also available from Amazon: The Table: How To Buy Food, How To Cook It And How To Serve It.
Select a medium-sized turtle, cut off the head, and let it bleed for twelve hours. Remove the bones by opening the sides ; cut the carcass in pieces, and blanch them for three minutes in boiling water. Lift off the top shell and place it in a saucepan, covering it with white broth (No. 99), a handful of whole pepper, one dozen cloves, half a bunch of thyme, and six bay leaves (all the above spices and herbs carefully tied in a white cloth). Add a handful of salt, and cook for about one hour. Drain, remove the bones, cut the rest in dice-sized squares. Let the broth be reduced to three-fourths its quantity, then put in the white, lean meat, letting it cook for ten minutes, and then add the green part (the shell) of the turtle. Fill some medium-sized pots with this, and when cooled off pour hot lard over the tops. A good glassful of Madeira wine can be added to the broth, according to taste.
 
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